KM 75

Common name: Neumann KM 75

Production Status: Discontinued / Vintage

KM is the acronym for “kleinmikrophon” meaning “little microphone”. Georg Neumann GmbH  first introduced this type of microphone in 1953 with the KM 53. The KM 75 belongs to the “fet 70” series, the first transistorized microphones family manufactured by Neumann. The KM 75 is a cardioid microphone designed for close field pickup. Its cardioid capsule features a built-in low-cut filter to compensate for the proximity effect affecting pressure gradient transducers. The microphone preamplifier circuit was designed around the newly developed FET (field effect transistor), that had the very high input impedance required for condenser capsule coupling. The microphone is powered according to DIN 45 595 (today known as DIN IEC 268 15) that is a 12 V DC powering via modulation leads, also known as A-B, T- powering or modulation lead powering. The KM 75 is a transformer-less microphone manufactured from 1966 to 1974.